Lighting upgrades cut operating costs for Victoria
VICTORIA – The City of Victoria will save more than $10,000 a year in electricity costs thanks to recently completed energy-efficiency upgrades to the lighting at City Hall and the Annex.
The city received just over $63,000 in incentives from BC Hydro for the upgrades, which included $20,000 for placing first in its category in a province-wide energy conservation challenge and $43,000 through the Power Smart Product Incentive Program.
"The City of Victoria was excited to take part in this challenge. We continue to work towards energy efficiency and sustainability at every turn," said Victoria mayor Dean Fortin. "For this council, it is important that we are not just talking about sustainability, but practising it."
The upgrades, which give city employees the ability to control the lighting at their individual workspaces, will save about 117,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity each year.
"The City of Victoria's consistent leadership in energy conservation and commitment to sustainability serve as a great example for us all," said Lisa Coltart, executive director of Customer Care and Power Smart for BC Hydro. "Conservation will play a key role in helping us meet our growing energy needs and the City of Victoria is leading the way."
As one of five winners of last summer's 12-week Turn It Off Challenge, the City of Victoria received money from BC Hydro for an energy-efficiency makeover at a civic facility. Sixty-six local governments participated in the Challenge, which encouraged them to create awareness of energy conservation in their communities.
The city also took advantage of Power Smart's Product Incentive Program to receive additional funds for the retrofit. The program offers financial incentives for the installation of pre-approved energy-efficient technologies.
In 2008, the city received a Power Smart Excellence Award for workplace conservation for creating opportunities for employees to participate in the city's conservation efforts.
Source: BC Hydro News
Contact:
Simi Heer
BC Hydro Media Relations
Phone: 604 623 3963